Kuwaitis to protest on eve of poll

SKEWED:Opposition groups are urging a boycott of Saturday’s elections to protest a decree that reduces citizens’ votes, which they say favors pro-government candidates

Reuters, KUWAIT

Authorities will allow a protest march to go ahead the day before Saturday’s parliamentary election in Kuwait, the prime minister said in a move designed to ease tensions ahead of the poll.

Thousands of people have staged regular demonstrations since late last month against a decree issued by Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah, which reduced the number of votes allowed per citizen to one from four.

The opposition movement, which includes youth groups and former members of parliament, has called for a boycott of the election in the US-allied major oil producer over the changes.

They say the amendments are an attempt to skew the elections in favor of pro-government candidates. Protesters say they seek reform, not an Arab Spring-style revolution like those that have ousted several Arab rulers since early last year.

The emir says the voting system is flawed and that the changes are constitutional and needed for “security and stability.”

“The organizers got a license from the concerned security services, so the government had nothing against the march,” state news agency KUNA reported Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak Al Sabah as saying late on Monday.

Kuwait allows the most dissent among the Gulf Arab states and its citizens often hold rallies in a designated area outside parliament.

However, recent unlicensed protest marches in the streets beyond have been broken up by police using teargas and smoke bombs.

Authorities are keen to prevent the kind of unrest Kuwait experienced on Oct. 21, when thousands of demonstrators attempted to reach government headquarters in the largest protest march and were dispersed by police. At least 29 people were injured during that march, a medical source said.

Under the new rules, each voter chooses only one candidate instead of four, a move the parliamentary opposition says will prevent its candidates winning the majority they had in the last election. They say the four-vote system better enabled candidates to form political allegiances during the election campaign by recommending supporters cast additional ballots for their allies. Such allegiances are important because Kuwait bans political parties, opposition politicians say.

Apart from protesting against the new voting rules, activists have rallied against wider issues such as corruption, the accountability of government ministers and elected officials, as well as a lack of infrastructure development.

A long-running row between the government and parliament has stalled implementation of major parts of a 30 billion dinar (US$107 billion) development plan, including large infrastructure projects.

The poll will be the fifth since mid-2006.

“The coming government will include decisionmakers and bold politicians to scale up the combat against corruption,” KUNA quoted Sheikh Jaber as saying.

The Kuwaiti parliament has legislative powers and the right to summon ministers for questioning, but the emir has the final say in state affairs and can veto laws and dissolve the assembly.

Opposition lawmakers — whose demands have included an elected Cabinet and prime minister — held about 35 seats in the 50-seat parliament elected in February.

The opposition bloc put pressure on government ministers, leading to the resignation of two. The parliament was dissolved by a court ruling in June.